Yazidi shrine, Lalish

The Yazidis follow an ancient religion that blends pre-Islamic Mesopotamian and Assyrian traditions, Christianity and Islam. Since 2014, the Yazidis have been targeted by ISIS, and they have been largely forced to flee to refugee camps within the Kurdish controlled regions of Iraq.

Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, the Yazidi founder figure and saint, was a 12th century Sufi mystic. His tomb in Lalish, northeast of Mosul, is a religious centre and focal point of an annual pilgrimage. Pilgrims tie coloured silks to the stone pillars inside the shrine, while underground, ancient pots hold oil used to light the lamps, one pot for each day of the year.